A Simple Door
by fallenfaeangel
Summary: Hermione lost the man she secretly cared for. Hogwarts granted her a year to change the fate of one Severus Snape as a result. All she had to do was to step through that simple door to give him a chance at life and love. ADULT Hermione Granger / Severus Snape
1. Fate's Door

AN: Since I am not sure I can pick up my other Harry Potter story for personal reasons here is one I think I can do better on. I return to the topic better than the others thanks to being an admin so I am optimistic...but if you know my writing I am bad with updates. Still, I will try. This is Snamione, rating cap undecided though likely staying on this site. Enjoy.

XoxoX

Hermione looked over her class schedule with her usual perfection. Last month she had just barely turned 20 and she was still unsure on what to think of her life. It was already her second year of being the Charms Professor at Hogwarts and she still couldn't decide if she like it or not. Flitwick had retired right after the war's end leaving a position hat needed to be filled immediately.

She glanced over the 7th year class schedule for the next day, it was weird teaching students she had gone to school with at times. After the war it didn't feel right for her to go back to school as a student, choosing instead to take her NEWTs instead, an option presented to few.

She sat the parchment down and looked at her exposed arms. The 'mudblood' scar had faded from the ugly pink to a soft white lettering against her skin. The scar didn't stretch well but for the most part she had adjusted to it and it had healed. She refused to hide the ugly word as a badge of what she had overcome. It was a word said by the ignorant and she refused to give it power.

Her friends had moved on with their own scars from the war, Harry and Ron having had a combined wedding with their loves, Ginny and Lavender respectfully. They were happy in their lives now, comfortable as they could be with what happened. She did her best to not break the happiness they so deserved and had distanced herself to give them their own lives. Her boys had finally passed into a territory she didn't have experience in, blissful love.

With a sigh from reminiscing on the past she got up and left her office. The halls were quiet at this time of night, only a teacher wondered the halls usually, students out being careful not to be caught. She rushed up some stairs on her travels as it started to get ready to move and hopped onto the top platform with moments to spare. She finished walking to her destination and stopped before the wide blank wall that was was familiar with. She closed her eyes and began to pace thinking about what she desired, a life she did not get.

The door finally appeared after her third pass and she quickly stepped in, shutting the door softly behind her in the quiet of the night. Before her was a familiar sight, one she saw nearly every night. To her right was a roaring fireplace giving a gentle light to bathe the room and giving it a calming warmth. Directly before her was a large over-stuffed chair with a small table next to it, a waiting hot cup of tea at the ready. Placed directly in front of the chair was the reason she was there, the Mirror of Erised.

She walked around and sat down in the chair, folding her legs underneath her before picking up her cup of tea and blowing softly on it from habit to cool it down. She took a sip to calm her nerves before finally laying eyes on the mirror to look in on her greatest desire.

She watched with a heavy heart as she saw Severus sitting behind her in the same chair cradling her very pregnant stomach in his large hands. He was whispering in her ear with the tiniest of smirks tugging at his lips before kissing her forehead softly and tucking his face into the crook of her neck as he continued to murmur to her. A tear slipped out of her eyes. She had faith in his integrity and just when the world could see the truth he passed away. She had harbored feelings for him for many years and knew he would never accept her while she was under-age.

He had too much honor for that and she didn't want him to ever change that. Before she had a chance to tell him though he was gone. It was something she regretted keeping silent. She knew if she could show him love he wouldn't have had to die alone and thinking he was unloved. If she even could get a message to the pats she was sure she could bump it all in the right direction. Sadly no matter what she did with the time turner she couldn't make it work as desired. It had a time limit with the sand inside and couldn't be pushed.

She closed her eyes to the image trying to control her emotions. "A year; a year and I could influence enough to right the wrongs for him." She whispered to herself.

She jerked her eyes open when a creaking noise filled the room accompanied by a sound that was similar to rocks sliding against each other. A door replaced where the mirror once stood.

She got up and looked at the words printed on it. "Mutare Fatum?" She muttered to herself before what stood before her connected. "You can allow me to _change fate_? You hold that power?" She asked the room. She had heard that it held some sentience and acted against it's natural order at times but such power was unheard of. A seemingly packed trunk appeared with her initials printed on a metal label. "I will take that as a yes." She said before standing before the door and thinking. She wondered if she really could be as effective as she thought. She didn't know when she was stepping into or even how she would get close to him.

The room sensed her questions, answering with a folded The Prophet sitting on the case with a job circled. She picked it up and looked it over. "Charms Assistant needed at Hogwarts..." She read thinking. "17th of August, 1977. I get a year from then?" She asked the room. The door swung open before her as an answer. "I will take that as a yes." She muttered chewing her lip in thought. She knew there was many things she couldn't change but she had to try to make a difference for him. She folded the paper under her arm and slid out her wand. Thankfully her hair had naturally toned down since she was a child to pleasant curls. That left her to switch the color and change her last name. She waved her wand and darkened the shade to a dark brown. "What name to go with..." She pondered tapping her wand off of her lip in thought. "Hermione Joanne Greene..." She said with a smile. She tucked her wand away again with that settled before grabbing the handle on the trunk and took a steadying breath before stepping through the door to the hall before her.


	2. Charms Assistant

It really didn't feel like she was stepping into 23 years in the past, really is just seemed like she was leaving the room with many hours passed judging by the light streaming into the hall. Hermione walked briskly down the empty halls until she got to the familiar gargoyle.

"I am here to see Headmaster Dumbledore about the opening as a Charm's Assistant." She told the gargoyle knowing it would relay the message. Before long the statue moved out of the way with the rough sound of grounding stones allowing her to access the stairs. She walked in to the office to a sight that threw her off, a slightly younger and a much more alive version of Professor Albus Dumbledore. It still shook her up to see a man she knew and accepted as dead, especially since his death had spurned so many important things that she couldn't try and change it at all. With a steadying breath she steeled herself to talk to a dead man.

"Hello Sir. I am here about the job opening as the Charms Assistant. My name is Hermione Greene." Hermione said moving to the chair he motioned towards.

"Yes yes. I must say I wasn't expecting anyone today, I didn't feel the wards shift. Tell me, how did you come to be here?" He asked in his normal manner.

"Well sir...I guess you can say Hogwarts sent me. It is...complicated. The Room of Requirement holds great magic." She said in a manner of explaining, trying her best to avoid mentioning traveling through time. As wise and powerful as he was she knew the less people who know of what happened the better.

Dumbledore hummed in thought, "If you would allow me, I just need to confirm your story." He waited until she gave a quick nod before raising his wand. He tested the magic around her before giving a bob of his head. "Seems as though you speak the truth, you have a strong magical imprint of the castle. How strange. Lemon Drop?" He said quickly moving on so fast she had to pause before she responded to him.

"Um...yes please. Thank you sir." She said taking one and popping it in to her mouth resisting the tears that threatened to fall. It was hard to be experiencing these things again and knowing she can never have it happen again once her time runs out.

"I am assuming with the school sending you that you don't have much of a resume at the moment." He said with the mysterious twinkle in his eye. She had missed that dearly, though normally it meant he knew something that he wasn't supposed to, knew something that you didn't, or he had a crazy idea that was dangerous but would work perfectly.

"No sadly. I do have experience teaching though." She said setting the paper down that she had still carried and watched as it changed into a work portfolio on its own. She looked at the new paper and looked it over surprised at how much of her experience it actually said. "Um...I take that back. Here you go." She said handing over the new paper work with a quizzical look on her face.

Dumbledore's eyes crinkled slightly with a smile as he looked over the documents, "Two years working as a Charms Professor at Hogwarts. How interesting." He said with a knowing look. Hermione blushed as she realized he knew she had come from the future. She had hoped it would last a little longer but it seems they were going to just act like he didn't know better which worked for her. They discussed the basics of the job, her experience, and what to be expected of her before they both felt it would work well for them.

"Seems like everything is in order. Class starts on September first. We have had this ad up since the start of last year and no one has seemed to fulfill the requirements, I am quite happy that you showed up. You will get your own quarters, not as big as the teachers but it will still have plenty of room. Food and housing is included with the normal pay. You will be working under our Charms Professor Filius Flitwick. Now, I just need you to sign this contract." He said pulling out a long contract from his desk. Hermione took it and began reading over the details carefully before giving a nod and signing with the offered quill.

"Fantastic. Lolly!" Dumbledore called out answered immediately with a snap as a house elf appeared before them.

"Yes sir. Hows may Lolly be helpin' yas sir?" A female elf said draped in a pink sack with excessive ribbons.

"Please show Miss Greene to her new quarters, she is to be our Charms Assistant. I would like you to help her settle in and help her." Dumbledore said.

Lolly seemed to beam at them, "Lolly bes honored thats yous trust hers with such a task!" She said in a chipper tone before turning to Hermione. "Please follows Lolly Miss." She ushered before walking out the door. Hermione gave a small wave and a slight bow of her head out of respect and rushed off after the elf who seemed to be humming an absent-minded tune. Hermione walked briskly trying to keep up with Lolly, surprised that such a small elf could move so fast.

They stopped before a painting of a witch arranging flowers of many types. "Miss can sets password now. Lolly waits." The house elf said as the painting also focused on her.

Hermione thought through and passed over many choices before a smile slid over her lips, "Gnarled Thorns." She said causing the woman's lips to be graced with a smile. She thought it fit the painting and the plants with the harshest thorns often hold the most beautiful flowers. The portrait swung open promptly allowing her to step through. Hermione walked into her new home and looked around at the large main room for personal quarters.

"Nows Lolly cans change any colors, or yous cans. Fine either ways. Before yous is the bedroom, to the rights, the bathroom. Rights bys the entrance is a smalls secondary office, yous wills be sharing the mains office with the Professor. We's has regular meals ins the Great Hall ands yous can also gets food from the Kitchens, or yous can calls Lolly." The house elf said with a bounce in her step. Hermione smiled at her enthusiasm.

"I know my way around, thank you Lolly. I think I am okay on my own." Hermione said in a polite dismissal. Lolly bobbed her head and with a reminder to call her, snapped out of the room leaving Hermione alone.

She looked around her quarters slowly. It really was like a regular apartment for room but with an office and no kitchen. The colors were neutral over all, dashes of random tones and many greys adorned the room. She pulled out her wand and got to work. A combination of Slytherin and Gryffindor colors quickly highlighted the room, though the green seemed to become more predominant as it was easier on her eyes. She looked at the mantel of her fireplace and waved her wand again, giving a large smile at the small metal plaque that now adorned the middle with the words that marked the door, 'Mutare Fatum', a reminder to her reason to be here.

She pulled her trunk into her bedroom and repeated the process of changing the colors. When she was satisfied she opened the trunk to finally see what was in it.

She started pulling through the articles, "Shirts, Blouses, Robes, Slacks, Ties of all house colors, and black and green lace under-things. Subtle Hogwarts. Reeeeeeal subtle." She muttered to herself and shook her head. She finally reached the bottom, a few books that WEREN'T from the future, a very large bag of galleons, and absolutely zero personal supplies. "Guess I need to go shopping tomorrow." She muttered to herself annoyed. She packed everything away carefully, leaving the books out for easy access.

She grabbed her purse with the enlargement charm and checked what she had on hand. A potions book. A charms book. A small hair brush for use through-out the day. Some sugar quills. Chapstick. A small silver ring from her mom. A quill. Bottle of ink. Scraps of parchment. A random wrapper. Old cauldron cake. Hermione sighed at what she had on hand. She collected things so easily in this bag it was easily filled with random things, most of which were useless. She grabbed her hairbrush and pulled her hair back and out of the way quickly before placing everything back.

She finished touring through her quarters and changing the colors until she figured it was time for dinner. She took one last glance around her main room. The couch and chairs were a deep green with silver highlights, the pillows a deep red with gold mixed in. A brighter red draped the stone walls in dashes of color. All in all she thought it was a nice combination of the house she was and the house of the one she loved.

Satisfied she left to walk down to meet her colleagues. Entering the Great Hall through the teacher's entrance she paused, quickly blushing as she became the main focus.

"This is Hermione Greene, she will be our new Charms Assistant for the influx of students." Dumbledore introduced her to the staff, making sure she learned the names of every one and what they did. Some of them were very different from her own time and it threw her off but was easy enough to learn will a little effort. Everyone seemed to want to talk to her and learn about who she was causing her to stumble through random stories. She quickly rattled off a tale about being tutored after her first few years at a french school and when she read of the opening here she just knew she had to come to the renowned school. She explained she was worried about being out there due to being Muggleborn and thought Hogwarts would be the safest for her. Being as young as she was and having experienced the war already she earned their sympathy and the rest of the questions were dropped much to her relief.

The rest of the meal was filled with random chatter from the most part. Most of the teachers were still figuring out the updated lesson plans and catching up with new discoveries for the next year, all very excited for the students that would be arriving in two weeks. At the end of dessert left everyone very light in talk and just say back relaxed. Hermione politely excused herself and walked back to her quarters slowly noticing slight changes she missed earlier. Some paintings were different, though not that different. In a castle nearly trapped in time not a lot changed.

She gave her password to her painting, the woman painting roses with interesting designs at the moment. Hermione stepped through the open door way and blinked at the change in lighting for a moment before continuing. She grabbed one of her books on current charms before going to read. It wouldn't do for her to be the inventor to a change or a new spell and further disrupt time due to her ignorance. She sat in the chair she decided was more padded sideways and set the book on her legs before opening it up and reading through the spells of the younger years. She didn't know when she fell asleep, somewhere between Refresher charm and Shower of Petals charm, or at least that was the friendly descriptions of them. Made sense for a book for younger students.

She groaned as she tried to move her neck, it had locked up from her position in sleep. She moved slowly wincing as her body changed its position that it had held for so many hours. She placed her book on a nearby table and walked tiredly into the bathroom to get ready for the day. She transfigured herself the missing supplies she needed and got ready for the day. She knew she needed to buy better than the transfigured supplies but it worked for the moment. She walked to her bedroom and slid on a blouse and slacks so she could start the day. She pulled her hair back in a messy bun and completed her look with Mary Jane shoes with a small heel. All in all she thought she looked very nice and professional to be going to Diagon Alley.

"Lolly!" She called out quickly. She smiled when she heard the familiar snap.

"Whats can Lolly be getting' ya Miss?" Lolly asked bouncing in place.

"I am rushing to go down to Diagon Alley for supplies, can you bring me a blueberry muffin?" She asked being answered with an over-enthusiastic nod and Lolly snapping out of existence. With another snap she promptly returned.

"Will thats be all Miss?" Lolly asked happy to help.

"Yes, thank you Lolly. It is appreciated." Hermione said causing Lolly to beam at her before snapping back out of the room. Hermione quickly ate her Muffin before setting off. She walked down to the main gates before being able to apparate to Diagon Alley. With a focus on the timeless Gringotts she disappeared with a pop.

AN: Okay, not a lot happening in this one. Next one is going to be shopping in Diagon Alley for supplies. Wonder what can happen or who she can run into...


End file.
